In front of Tommy stood a door. A normal door, similar to that of any other door he'd seen in the facility thus far. Eret shifted slightly beside him, but they didn't make a move, leaving the wolf hybrid to stare at the door.
Its gaping maw threatened to swallow him whole if he even dared to move a muscle. He felt as though he was on a treadmill, or a conveyor belt. He could run all he wanted, but he'd end up here all the same.
Eret stepped forward, swiping their keycard. Tommy barely suppressed a flinch as they gripped his shoulder, roughly guiding him inside. He barely caught a glimpse of them walking away as the door shut, sealing him inside.
He was alone.
Again.
He always did this, really. Yelling at people. Pushing them away. It was stupid of him. So, so stupid. He was too brash, too loud, too-
"263-W, welcome to the research branch of our facility. We will be conducting a series of tests to observe your behaviour, instincts, and biology, among other things. We ask for full cooperation, otherwise there will be consequences."
The voice startled him out of his spiral, and it was not unlike the robotic voice he had heard upon arrival. However, unlike the other voice, this one was distinctly human.
He stayed silent, observing the room around him carefully. It was large, larger than his room, and there was a faint outline on the wall across from the entrance, somewhat door-shaped.
The room was white, like everything else in the facility. The walls were cold to the touch, and he felt goosebumps rising.
What really caught his eye, however, was the far left wall. It was entirely made of glass, and he could see three humans, wearing white coats, chattering amongst themselves. One of them, a woman, sat at a desk, microphone in front of her. So she was the one speaking to him?
"Testing will commence immediately. In order to test your hearing, a tone will play from the speakers installed in the room. The pitch will increase over time."
"This may be painful."
Tommy shivered further, and he wasn't sure if it was from the cold, or the icy dread pooling in his stomach. Perhaps it was both.
A low ringing noise filled the room, and he relaxed somewhat. It was almost anticlimactic. Was this all they had to throw at him?
The ringing increased in pitch, and he remained unfazed.
It got higher, and higher, but he could handle it. Tommy began to feel dizzy, so he sat down. It was probably just because he was nervous. Yeah, that was it.
Despite the noise beginning to wear him out, it continued to rise in pitch. He wanted so desperately to unload his insides onto the pristine floor of the room, and he would have, if not for the fact that it wasn't very healthy to puke up the one meal you got per day. Actually, now that he's thinking about it, Tubbo hadn't shown up to the cafeteria for a while after testing. Would they starve him?
Wouldn't be the first time.
The ringing spiked, and Tommy curled into himself, ears flattening. His prior thoughts were rendered null, and all he could register was that it hurts. He didn't know when he had started crying, only that there were hot tears streaming down his face and that he was in so much pain-
And then it stopped.
His head was clouded from the pain, and all he could do was relish the relief he was granted.
He tentatively stood, ignoring the festering nausea in his stomach, and looked to the three humans behind the glass. They seemed to be whispering amongst themselves, and were taking notes. As his head cleared, anger began to swell.
He walked over to the glass, while the humans were still in the midst of their discussion. He stood for a moment, expecting them to look at him, be alarmed, anything. Still, nothing.
And so, he rammed into the glass, full force. The humans were startled, and the one at the desk looked visibly annoyed. Tommy only grinned, sticking his tongue out at the researchers.
He went to ram the glass once more, before the human at the desk spoke into the microphone.
"263-W, we ask that you refrain from touching the glass, or else there will be consequences. This is your final warning. You are to wait calmly in the room until the next test begins."
Tommy fumed at this. He kicked at the ground, pacing around the room. Were these 'consequences' worth it, if he got to see the looks on their faces? He had promised a show, after all. Now that he was thinking about it, promises made during mental breakdowns didn't have much merit to them anyways.
Decision made, Tommy sat down on the room's floor, shivering now. Why was this room so cold, when his room was always at a regular temperature?
He batted his tail against the ground, impatient. If they wanted to test him, could they at least get on with it? There was still a faint ringing in his ears, and he just wanted it to be over.
He heard a swoosh, and he turned, ears swiveling to pick up the noise. He directed his attention to the door-shaped outline in the wall, which had just slid closed by the time he laid his eyes on it. What was more peculiar was the rabbit- no, hare, that was snuffling lazily in front of the secret door.
The hare snapped into lucidity, wildly scampering around the room. Tommy yelped at the sudden movement, jumping to his feet, feeling a spell off dizziness wash over him. The hare raced around the room frantically, before settling in a corner, pure fear in its eyes.
Tommy backed away from the creature in an attempt to not scare it further. He could understand it being scared, but the hare's terror was so strong he could almost smell it. Maybe it could tell he was a wolf? Animal instincts were intuitive like that. Hybrids got a shred of it, but hybrid instincts were child's play compared to that of a wild animal.
He slumped against the wall, sliding down until he was in a sitting position. He let the wall cool the back of his neck as he closed his eyes. Head in hands, he focused on his breathing. First, they'd played that horrible noise, now there was a hare in the room, and he just wanted to leave. There weren't even any instructions! What was he supposed to do with the dumb thing anyways? Coexist?
He made eye contact with the hare, whom he had decided to name Mary, after the first Queen. Despite her elegant and noble name, Mary only cowered further. So much for coexisting.
Tommy groaned, moving so that he was laying on his back instead. He turned to the researchers, and made a face. Whatever they wanted him to do, he clearly wasn't doing it, based on the annoyed and perplexed looks on their faces.
He rolled over once more, back to the researchers, and reached a hand out towards Mary. Even if she was afraid, he wanted to extend a hand, just to let her know he was here for her. He was here to support her, despite probably being her natural predator. Maybe, with some work, they could move past their natural dispositions and create a hesitant but budding friendship that would bloom over time.
Tommy smiled softly to himself.
That sounded nice.
"Mary, please, calm yourself. Despite my predatory appearance, I won't eat you, or whatever. You're far too elegant. Promise." Tommy hoped that his words served to soothe Mary, and grinned when he saw the tension in her bones lessen.
"That's it, Mary. We can be friends, yeah?" He made sure to speak as softly as he could, which wasn't very soft, but he was sure that Mary would appreciate his efforts nonetheless. She was kind like that.
He was about to make more conversation with the hare, when the secret door slid open. Two people stormed into the room, one of them scooping Mary into their arms, and the other raising a gun to Tommy. Not a real one, as it looked similar to the one that guy (Fundy?) had shot him with in the alleyway.
He felt a familiar prick in his neck, and mentally groaned. Not this shit again. His vision began to swim, and he lost all control of his body.
"Want... taken... further observation..."
Tommy picked up a few words from a murmured conversation he was not supposed to hear, before darkness overtook him.
A/N: Hello my darlings! Testing chapter hehe! Angst funfun! What'll happen next? That's for me to know and you to wait 5-9 business days to find out!
Feel free to leave a comment, as they really brighten my day! Tell me what you think!! Did you like this chapter? Who's your favourite character so far, and who are you excited to see in the au?